Histopathological patterns of the liver involvement in visceral leishmaniasis

The hepatic changes observed in liver specimen from either biopsy or necropsy of 47 patients with visceral leishmaniasis permited us to define three different histopathological patterns of involvement: typical, nodular, and fibrogenic. These patterns seem to be representative of different evolutive stages of the hepatic involvement in the disease either towards a more benign evolution or to more chronic stage with fibrosis and "cirrhosis". These histopathological evolutive stages are related to the prognosis of the disease.

Intestinal cryptosporidiosis. association with Pneumocystis carinii, cytomegalovirus and Candida sp. Infections

This is a case report of intestinal cryptosporidiosis diagnosed in histological specimen collected from autopsy. The patient was a child of 5 months admitted to the hospital with severe acute diarrhea associated with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, cytomegalic sialadenitis, oral and dermal candidiasis. The presence of multiple opportunistic infections in this case indicated immunodeficiency state. Cryptosporidium sp is a possible etiology of acute diarrhea in both immunodeficient and immunocompetent patients and has to be searched for at autopsy when diagnosis was not possible "in vivo".

New evidence of shared dinosaur across upper jurassic proto-North Atlantic: stegosaurus from Portugal

Naturwissenschaften 94,367–374

Herpes simplex virus type 2 infection in pregnancy: asymptomatic viral excretion at delivery and seroepidemiologic survey of two socioeconomically distinct populations in São Paulo, Brazil

The objective of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV 2) antibodies in child bearing women of 2 Brazilian populations with different socioeconomic status and to determine the risk of neonatal HSV exposure by means of maternal cultures at the onset of labor. The study was conducted at 2 hospitals: A, serving very low income patients and B, serving middle socioeconomic class. 173 participants from group A and 127 from B answered a questionnaire which showed that the patients had similar ages (27.7 and 26.8 years, respectively) but differed with regard to socioeconomic status, age at first intercourse (18.6 vs 20.6 years), number of sex partners (1.5 vs 1.2) and previous sexually transmitted diseases (15% vs. 1.5%). History of genital herpes was given by 11% of group A participants and by a similar number, 7%, of patients from group B. In addition, 200 serum samples from population A and 455 from B were tested by ELISA for and HSV antibodies and 92% and 86%, respectively, were found to be positive. Sixty seropositive samples from group A and 90 from B were further analyzed by Western blot, which showed the presence of type 2 specific antibodies in 46% and 36%, respectively, suggesting an overall HSV 2 prevalence of 42% in group A and 31% in B. Cervical specimens were obtained for culture from 299 asymptomatic patients of population A and 313 of B. HSV was isolated from one specimen in each group, indicating a 0.3% incidence of asymptomatic viral excretion in both populations. In conclusion, the prevalence of type 2 antibodies in childbearing women was very high, but it did not differ with the socioeconomic status. The risk of HSV perinatal transmission was also similar in the 2 study populations and it was comparable with the data from developed countries. Our findings do not indicate the need of special screening programs for asymptomatic HSV excretion in Brazilian pregnant women.

Optimization of cruciform specimens for biaxial fatigue loading with direct multi search

In order to correctly assess the biaxial fatigue material properties one must experimentally test different load conditions and stress levels. With the rise of new in-plane biaxial fatigue testing machines, using smaller and more efficient electrical motors, instead of the conventional hydraulic machines, it is necessary to reduce the specimen size and to ensure that the specimen geometry is appropriate for the load capacity installed. At the present time there are no standard specimen's geometries and the indications on literature how to design an efficient test specimen are insufficient. The main goal of this paper is to present the methodology on how to obtain an optimal cruciform specimen geometry, with thickness reduction in the gauge area, appropriate for fatigue crack initiation, as a function of the base material sheet thickness used to build the specimen. The geometry is optimized for maximum stress using several parameters, ensuring that in the gauge area the stress distributions on the loading directions are uniform and maximum with two limit phase shift loading conditions (delta = 0 degrees and (delta = 180 degrees). Therefore the fatigue damage will always initiate on the center of the specimen, avoiding failure outside this region. Using the Renard Series of preferred numbers for the base material sheet thickness as a reference, the reaming geometry parameters are optimized using a derivative-free methodology, called direct multi search (DMS) method. The final optimal geometry as a function of the base material sheet thickness is proposed, as a guide line for cruciform specimens design, and as a possible contribution for a future standard on in-plane biaxial fatigue tests

Philodryas patagoniensis bite and local envenoming

A 5-year-old boy bitten by a specimen of Philodryas patagoniensis, a colubrid snake currently classified as nonvenomous, developed signs of local envenoming characterized by swelling and warmth on the bitten limb. This is the first time that local envenoming following Philodryas patagoniensis bite is recognized. Based on the clinical findings and misidentification of the snake, the patient was treated as a victim of Bothrops bite, having received unnecessarily the specific antivenom. Educational efforts to make doctors and health workers capable to identify correctly venomous snakes are necessary, to avoid inappropriate indication of antivenom and decrease the risk of its potentially harmful untoward effects. Examination of the bite site can be useful to the differential diagnosis between pit viper and colubrid bites.

Cutaneous Nocardia asteroides infection of nontraumatic origin

This paper reports a case of cutaneous infection of nontraumatic origin caused by Nocardia asteroides in a hospitalized patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Diagnosis was established by direct and histological examination, cultures from exudate and biopsy specimen. We discuss the classification of clinical forms of Nocardia infections affecting the skin.

Occurence of Giardia lamblia in children of municipal day-care centers from Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil

Considering that the number of day-care centers for pre-school-age children has expanded rapidly in developing countries, and that these institutions presenting conditions that facilitate the transmission of many enteric agents, a parasitological survey was carried out in three municipal day-cares from Botucatu: two in the urban area (one in downtown area and the other one in the city periphery area) and the third in the rural area. Three separate stool specimens were collected from 147 children ranging from 0 to 72 months old and 20 staff members. Each stool specimen was processed by Lutz and zinc sulfate flotation methods. The frequency of giardiasis observed among children of downtown, periphery and rural day-cares was 69.6%, 52.7% and 69.6%, respectively. Only one employee was positive for G. lamblia. The examination of three stool specimens increased the positivity for G. lamblia: from the ninety three final positive examinations, 24 (25.5%) and 8 (8.5%) were positives only after examination of the second and third samples, respectively. Others intestinal organisms like Ascaris lumbricoides (20.4%), Trichuris trichiura (19.0%). Hymenolepis nana (8.8%), Entamoeba coli (22.4%) and Blastocystis hominis (32.0%) were frequently found in the children. There was no significant association among localization of the day-cares, sex of the children and the levels of G. lamblia infection. According to the age, G. lamblia was found mainly in children between 12 to 47 months old.

Stress Ratio Effects on the fatigue Properties of Biaxially Loaded Tubular FRP-Specimens – Experimental Study

In this work tubular fiber reinforced specimens are tested for fatigue life. The specimens are biaxially loaded with tension and shear stresses, with a load angle β of 30° and 60° and a load ratio of R=0,1. There are many factors that affect fatigue life of a fiber reinforced material and the main goal of this work is to study the effects of load ratio R by obtaining S-N curves and compare them to the previous works (1). All the other parameters, such as specimen production, fatigue loading frequency and temperature, will be the same as for the previous tests. For every specimen, stiffness, temperature of the specimen during testing, crack counting and final fracture mode are obtained. Prior to testing, a study if the literature regarding the load ratio effects on composites fatigue life and with that review estimate the initial stresses to be applied in testing. In previous works (1) similar specimens have only been tested for a load ratio of R=-1 and therefore the behaviour of this tubular specimens for a different load ratio is unknown. All the data acquired will be analysed and compared to the previous works, emphasizing the differences found and discussing the possible explanations for those differences. The crack counting software, developed at the institute, has shown useful before, however different adjustments to the software parameters lead to different cracks numbers for the same picture, and therefore a better methodology will be discussed to improve the crack counting results. After the specimen’s failure, all the data will be collected and stored and fibre volume content for every specimen is also determinate. The number of tests required to make the S-N curves are obtained according to the existent standards. Additionally are also identified some improvements to the testing machine setup and to the procedures for future testing.

Detection of a Giardia lamblia coproantigen by using a commercially available immunoenzymatic assay, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

It is known that fecal examination to detect Giardia lamblia cysts or trophozoites produces a high percentage of false-negative results. A commercially available immunoenzymatic assay (ProSpecT Giardia Microplate Assay, Alexon, Inc., BIOBRÁS) to detect G. lamblia specific coproantigen was evaluated for the first time in Brazil. A total of 90 specimens were tested. Each specimen was first tested as unpreserved stool, and then it was preserved in 10% Formalin to be tested 2 months later. The assay was able to identify all the 30 positive patients (sensitivity = 100.0%) by visual or spectrophotometric examination in the unpreserved specimens and was negative in 57 of the 60 patients without G. lamblia (specificity = 95.0%). The assay identified 27 of the 30 positive patients (sensitivity = 90.0%) and was negative in 59 of the 60 negatives (specificity = 98.3%) in the preserved stools according to both readings. A marked difference was observed in the optical densities in both groups, preserved and unpreserved stools, when the G. lamblia-positive specimens were compared to the negative or positive for other intestinal parasites than G. lamblia. The assay seems a good alternative for giardiasis diagnosis, especially when the fecal examination was repeatedly negative and the patient presents giardiasislike symptoms.

Detection of hepatitis A antibodies by ELISA using saliva as clinical samples

The possibility of detecting acute infection and immunity using body fluids that are easier to collect than blood, mainly in children, would facilitate the investigation and follow-up of outbreaks of hepatitis A (HAV). Our study was carried out to evaluate the detection of anti-HAV IgM, IgA and total antibodies in saliva using serum samples as reference. Forty three paired serum and saliva samples were analyzed. From this total, 24 samples were obtained from children and 1 from one adult during the course of acute hepatitis A; an additional 18 samples were obtained from health professionals from Adolfo Lutz Institute. The sensitivity to detect anti-HAV IgM was 100% (95%CI: 79.1 to 100.0%), employing saliva as clinical samples. In detecting anti-HAV IgA, the sensitivity was 80.8% (95%CI: 60.0 to 92.7%) and for the total antibodies was 82.1% (95%CI: 62.4 to 93.2%). The specificity was 100% for each. The rate of agreement was high comparing the results of serum and saliva samples for detecting HAV antibodies. We conclude that saliva is an acceptable alternative specimen for diagnosing acute hepatitis A infection, and for screening individuals to receive hepatitis A vaccine or immunoglobulin.

Constraint-based modeling of minimum set covering: application to species differentation

Work presented in the context of the European Master in Computational Logics, as partial requisit for the graduation as Master in Computational Logics

Leishmaniasis in the genital area

Two patients from the gold mines of Bolivar State, Venezuela, presenting cutaneous leishmaniasis in the genital region, an unusual location, are described. The first patient showed an ulcerated lesion of the glans penis. Leishmanin skin test was positive. A biopsy specimen revealed a granulomatous infiltrate containing Leishmania parasites. In the second patient, Leishmanin skin test was positive, HIV and VDRL were negative. Leishmania parasites were present in a biopsy of an ulcerated lesion in the scrotum, with an indurated base, infiltrative borders with an yellowish exudate. Patients were treated with meglumine antimoniate and the lesions healed.

Evidence of spotted fever group rickettsiae in state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Ticks were obtained from dogs from February to September of 1999 at weekly intervals, in the County of Piraí, State of Rio de Janeiro. Four hundred seventy four ixodids were taxonomically identified, 103 Amblyomma cajennense, seven Amblyomma ovale, 209 Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and 155 Amblyomma sp. An hemolymph test associated with Giemsa's stain revealed two specimens in 163 ticks tested (R. sanguineus and Amblyomma sp), containing rickettsia-like organisms. Direct immunofluorescence verified the presence of spotted fever group rickettsia in one specimen of R. sanguineus. Considering the limited information on rickettsiosis in Brazil, principally in relation to the vectors involved in perpetuating it in foci, these preliminary results give us an idea on the importance of infection in ticks, allowing to expand our knowledge on this zoonosis.

Respiratory tract intracavitary colonization due to Scedosporium apiospermum: report of four cases

Four cases of respiratory tract intracavitary colonization (fungus ball) due to Scedosporium apiospermum (teleomorph, Pseudallescheria boydii) are reported. The need for a careful search for anneloconidia, in order to establish the etiologic diagnosis in the clinical specimen by microscopy, is emphasized.